School district IT departments all have one thing in common…they never seem to be able to keep up with the times. This creates a major issue when it comes to managing computers and technology in general. Technology moves faster than the average school district technology budget allows for expansion of equipment. The real answer to this issue is Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).
The impact of this initiative on the IT departments in school districts can cause havoc if not correctly planned for and implemented. The biggest concern is security, which will be covered on a different page. The second biggest concern is the impact on the current infrastructure in place. Most IT departments are set up to handle a set number of computers with internet access and those same machines to have login accounts for teachers, students, and staff that all have set permissions and allowances in the school computer system.
The major impact on IT is the level of preparedness. Some school districts are more than prepared and can begin implementation in a very short time frame; while others are caught completely off-guard and require massive changes in infrastructure before BYOD can be implemented.
Implementation of BYOD
In order to implement BYOD, a school district needs to have their infrastructure in a configuration that will allow access to internet, applications, and file resources on the school network. Most schools today allow students to log on to their computer system from school-owned machines on campus, while not allowing students to use their own computers on the school network at all. The major configuration changes come from network upgrades to handle the increase in student users on the Internet and also an access gateway that allows students to log on to the school network and get access to applications and school resources from anywhere there is internet access. (Cisco, 2012)
Internet Requirements
Back in the late 1990's and early 2000's, it was the gold-standard to have Ethernet wired in to every classroom and student area on campus, and at least a couple computers in every classroom. Since the widespread implementation of wireless internet access, or Wi-Fi, computers have become more mobile, where teachers use laptops in place of desktops, and students now bring tablet computers to class in place of textbooks. This change in internet availability has driven the entire market of mobile devices, which has given birth to the BYOD initiative. Students now own the mobile devices that allow them to succeed in the classroom…the internet that is made available to the students needs to be of sufficient speed to allow the students to view video, animations, and other applications that will allow them to succeed in the classroom. Teachers also need this bandwidth to allow them to make these teaching tools available to their students.
Network Access
In order for students to have access to all of the applications and files that they are used to on the school-owned machines, their login profiles need to be accessible from a BYOD device. This requires access software. This software allows IT to apply user profiles and passwords to be able to log in from a website. Once logged on to the network, students have the ability to get their schoolwork from anywhere they have internet access. What makes this even better is that students and teachers can log on to the school network from anywhere in the world as long as they have internet access. (Motorola, 2011)
Simpified BYOD Diagram
References
BYOD in Education. (n.d.). Cisco Systems, Inc. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/education/46096_byod_ed_aag.pdf
BYOD: BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE On-boarding and Securing Devices in Your Corporate Network. (n.d.). Motorola, Inc.. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from www.motorola.com/web/Business/Products/Wireless%20LAN%20Devices/_Documents/_static%20files/BYOD+-+Bring+Your+Own+Device.pdf
http://wp.me/p3kHK5-5 Devices, Connectivity and Filtering Issues
Angel Delgado The creating of WiFi platform has standardized the wireless connection among many devices since 2009. This technology has made possible internet connectivity from anywhere where Hotspots are located. For business and public institutions having Hotspots is not expensive. A business can have a hotspot for about $10.00 a month. These hotspots facilitate connectivity to many devices wireless. Companies have reacted to this technology by adding it to computers, cellular phones and creating the tablets. Putting these together have made possible to connect your own device at many locations 24/7. Chrysler Corporation installed Uconnect Web in their cars making their cars hotspots. Any device with WiFi connection capabilities can connect to any school hotspots. Forsyth Country Schools in Georgia set up hotspots trough their district and invited the business community to provide hotspots at their locations. They provide a listing of hotspot in their school district website which can easily be access with the school’s app (Shammas, 2013). Creating that type of hotspots network requires a clear and compelling vision. The technology director’s guide to leadership lays out the roll of administrators to guide school district to incorporate technology at schools (Hall, 2008). Because WiFi signals are easy to be hacked the router can be set with a password. Every router comes with setting instructions and if you cannot find them, just Google them. Be careful with open hotspots because they are just open and there are free software to hack your data from your devices. Every educational institution that uses WiFi has to have policies in place concerning connectivity, talk about ethical values that foster clean understanding of data rights and privileges (Miller, Voas & Hurlburt, 2012). BYOD moves the responsibility to the user for the purchase, maintenance of devices, less cost for the institution and IT has fewer devices to manage (Caldwell, Zeltmann & Griffin, 2012). In Tech Tactics, Technology for Teachers book shows many resources that teachers can use taking advantage of internet connectivity (Thorsen, 2009). Filtering the school internet has been a problem and to prevent children for viewing pornographic material the Congress enacted the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). The Supreme Court upheld the law which does not specify what filters must be used. This law was challenged by the American Library Association. The CIPA allows the students to receive internet messages at home but not at school (McCarthy, 2004). That creates a problem because the students who do not have internet at home are in disadvantage. I can see many issues going to the courts dealing with the First Amendment and internet connections.
Reference
Caldwell, C., Zeltmann, S., & Griffin, K. (2012, July 1). Byod (bring your own device). Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/library/1P3-2823622961/byod-bring-your-own-device Hall, D. (2008). The technology director\'s guide to leadership . Eugene, OR: ISTE. McCarthy, M. (2004). Filtering the internet: The children's internet protection act. . Retrieved from http://www.pilambda.org. Miller, K. W., Voas, J., & Hurlburt, G. (n.d.). Byod: Security and privacy considerations. Retrieved from http://ComputingNow.computer.org. Shammas, B. (2013, March 3). Special report: Collier school district embracing "bring your own technology" policy. Retrieved from marconews.com Thorsen, C. (2009). Tech tactics for technology for teachers. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
Christopher Rudolph
An Opportunity Schools Cannot Afford to Miss
This particular article is about the specific implementation of BYOD in school districts. The article touches on the usual cost versus benefit topic, but the one section that caught by eye was the part about Project Copernicus. This was a project in a suburb of Minneapolis that started a pilot program in 2009 at three of its schools. The only thing that was the same between all of the schools was the concept. The program was completely voluntary because it started with only the faculty. Since the program’s inception, it has exploded in popularity and growth. There are literally dozens of teachers and schools lining up in Minnesota to learn more about the program and how it worked for the select group of teachers that decided to participate.
The remainder of the article covered the usual information, costs, benefits, challenges, and the usual politics behind all of the school district decisions for BYOD in this particular area. The author of the article is Dawn Nelson, a technology coordinator from the very school district that started Project Copernicus.
I read this article three times in order to absorb all of its great information. There was so much information that was useful that it was hard to not read it over again. The main points of the article were definitely the project that was created in the suburban school district, and the impact that it has had over the surrounding areas and all over the state of Minnesota. I found the information to be very thorough and I just enough detail as to not cause confusion.
The only thing I would have liked to know was where readers could learn more about the current status of Project Copernicus and how it has impacted the education of the children in their schools since its inception in 2009, there is a lot of changes that can occur in five years.
It seems as though every author has to include the usual information about how they arrived at the decision to start BYOD, and the challenges that they encountered along the way. This article was no different from any of the others that were researched. Most of the challenges surround security of the school networks, safety of the students online, and which office is responsible for the oversight of the program.
Reference
Nelson, D. (2012). BYOD. Internet@Schools, 19(5), 12-15.
The impact of this initiative on the IT departments in school districts can cause havoc if not correctly planned for and implemented. The biggest concern is security, which will be covered on a different page. The second biggest concern is the impact on the current infrastructure in place. Most IT departments are set up to handle a set number of computers with internet access and those same machines to have login accounts for teachers, students, and staff that all have set permissions and allowances in the school computer system.
The major impact on IT is the level of preparedness. Some school districts are more than prepared and can begin implementation in a very short time frame; while others are caught completely off-guard and require massive changes in infrastructure before BYOD can be implemented.
Implementation of BYOD
In order to implement BYOD, a school district needs to have their infrastructure in a configuration that will allow access to internet, applications, and file resources on the school network. Most schools today allow students to log on to their computer system from school-owned machines on campus, while not allowing students to use their own computers on the school network at all. The major configuration changes come from network upgrades to handle the increase in student users on the Internet and also an access gateway that allows students to log on to the school network and get access to applications and school resources from anywhere there is internet access. (Cisco, 2012)Internet Requirements
Back in the late 1990's and early 2000's, it was the gold-standard to have Ethernet wired in to every classroom and student area on campus, and at least a couple computers in every classroom. Since the widespread implementation of wireless internet access, or Wi-Fi, computers have become more mobile, where teachers use laptops in place of desktops, and students now bring tablet computers to class in place of textbooks. This change in internet availability has driven the entire market of mobile devices, which has given birth to the BYOD initiative. Students now own the mobile devices that allow them to succeed in the classroom…the internet that is made available to the students needs to be of sufficient speed to allow the students to view video, animations, and other applications that will allow them to succeed in the classroom. Teachers also need this bandwidth to allow them to make these teaching tools available to their students.Network Access
In order for students to have access to all of the applications and files that they are used to on the school-owned machines, their login profiles need to be accessible from a BYOD device. This requires access software. This software allows IT to apply user profiles and passwords to be able to log in from a website. Once logged on to the network, students have the ability to get their schoolwork from anywhere they have internet access. What makes this even better is that students and teachers can log on to the school network from anywhere in the world as long as they have internet access. (Motorola, 2011)References
BYOD in Education. (n.d.). Cisco Systems, Inc. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/education/46096_byod_ed_aag.pdfBYOD: BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE On-boarding and Securing Devices in Your Corporate Network. (n.d.). Motorola, Inc.. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from www.motorola.com/web/Business/Products/Wireless%20LAN%20Devices/_Documents/_static%20files/BYOD+-+Bring+Your+Own+Device.pdf
http://wp.me/p3kHK5-5
Devices, Connectivity and Filtering Issues
Angel Delgado
The creating of WiFi platform has standardized the wireless connection among many devices since 2009. This technology has made possible internet connectivity from anywhere where Hotspots are located. For business and public institutions having Hotspots is not expensive. A business can have a hotspot for about $10.00 a month. These hotspots facilitate connectivity to many devices wireless. Companies have reacted to this technology by adding it to computers, cellular phones and creating the tablets. Putting these together have made possible to connect your own device at many locations 24/7. Chrysler Corporation installed Uconnect Web in their cars making their cars hotspots. Any device with WiFi connection capabilities can connect to any school hotspots. Forsyth Country Schools in Georgia set up hotspots trough their district and invited the business community to provide hotspots at their locations. They provide a listing of hotspot in their school district website which can easily be access with the school’s app (Shammas, 2013). Creating that type of hotspots network requires a clear and compelling vision. The technology director’s guide to leadership lays out the roll of administrators to guide school district to incorporate technology at schools (Hall, 2008).
Because WiFi signals are easy to be hacked the router can be set with a password. Every router comes with setting instructions and if you cannot find them, just Google them. Be careful with open hotspots because they are just open and there are free software to hack your data from your devices. Every educational institution that uses WiFi has to have policies in place concerning connectivity, talk about ethical values that foster clean understanding of data rights and privileges (Miller, Voas & Hurlburt, 2012). BYOD moves the responsibility to the user for the purchase, maintenance of devices, less cost for the institution and IT has fewer devices to manage (Caldwell, Zeltmann & Griffin, 2012). In Tech Tactics, Technology for Teachers book shows many resources that teachers can use taking advantage of internet connectivity (Thorsen, 2009).
Filtering the school internet has been a problem and to prevent children for viewing pornographic material the Congress enacted the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). The Supreme Court upheld the law which does not specify what filters must be used. This law was challenged by the American Library Association. The CIPA allows the students to receive internet messages at home but not at school (McCarthy, 2004). That creates a problem because the students who do not have internet at home are in disadvantage. I can see many issues going to the courts dealing with the First Amendment and internet connections.
Reference
Caldwell, C., Zeltmann, S., & Griffin, K. (2012, July 1). Byod (bring your own device). Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/library/1P3-2823622961/byod-bring-your-own-device
Hall, D. (2008). The technology director\'s guide to leadership . Eugene, OR: ISTE.
McCarthy, M. (2004). Filtering the internet: The children's internet protection act. . Retrieved from http://www.pilambda.org.
Miller, K. W., Voas, J., & Hurlburt, G. (n.d.). Byod: Security and privacy considerations. Retrieved from http://ComputingNow.computer.org.
Shammas, B. (2013, March 3). Special report: Collier school district embracing "bring your own technology" policy. Retrieved from marconews.com
Thorsen, C. (2009). Tech tactics for technology for teachers. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
Christopher Rudolph
An Opportunity Schools Cannot Afford to Miss
This particular article is about the specific implementation of BYOD in school districts. The article touches on the usual cost versus benefit topic, but the one section that caught by eye was the part about Project Copernicus. This was a project in a suburb of Minneapolis that started a pilot program in 2009 at three of its schools. The only thing that was the same between all of the schools was the concept. The program was completely voluntary because it started with only the faculty. Since the program’s inception, it has exploded in popularity and growth. There are literally dozens of teachers and schools lining up in Minnesota to learn more about the program and how it worked for the select group of teachers that decided to participate.
The remainder of the article covered the usual information, costs, benefits, challenges, and the usual politics behind all of the school district decisions for BYOD in this particular area. The author of the article is Dawn Nelson, a technology coordinator from the very school district that started Project Copernicus.
I read this article three times in order to absorb all of its great information. There was so much information that was useful that it was hard to not read it over again. The main points of the article were definitely the project that was created in the suburban school district, and the impact that it has had over the surrounding areas and all over the state of Minnesota. I found the information to be very thorough and I just enough detail as to not cause confusion.
The only thing I would have liked to know was where readers could learn more about the current status of Project Copernicus and how it has impacted the education of the children in their schools since its inception in 2009, there is a lot of changes that can occur in five years.
It seems as though every author has to include the usual information about how they arrived at the decision to start BYOD, and the challenges that they encountered along the way. This article was no different from any of the others that were researched. Most of the challenges surround security of the school networks, safety of the students online, and which office is responsible for the oversight of the program.
Reference
Nelson, D. (2012). BYOD. Internet@Schools, 19(5), 12-15.